Jennifer Fessler has come in hot this season of "RHONJ," making a mark for her quick wit and fun personality in the cast that consists of Teresa Giudice, Melissa Gorga, Margaret Josephs, Jennifer Aydin and Jackie Goldschneider and fellow newbies Danielle Cabral and Rachel Fuda.
Season 13 airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo, and streams next day on Peacock.
With half of a season as a "friend" of the show under her belt, TODAY caught up with Jennifer to hear about her introduction to the "Housewives" world, and her takes on what’s happening on screen.
Jennifer would set up a housewife of ‘Miami’ if given the opportunity
Years before "RHONJ," Jennifer had quite the interesting career, serving as a director for a dating service called “It’s Just Lunch.”
Jennifer tells TODAY.com that “it was one of my very, very fun jobs.” The most fun part? She met her husband through it!
“Jeff Fessler was a client, which isn’t really allowed. So don’t tell my boss!” Jennifer says.
As for how their matchmaker-client relationship turned into a match of its own?
“He had been an old client and I was trying to recruit old clients back in. He came in, and he asked me out almost immediately,” she says.
“At the time, I just was not interested. So it was really easy for me to say, ‘I’m sorry, but I don’t date my clients,’ and we became friends. We were friends for a good year, and then as I began to set him up with people, I just lost my mind. I was just pissed at him and at the women. In his mind, we were sort of meant to be, so it took me a while to come around. Now we’re 23 years later, and our 24th anniversary is next month,” Jennifer continues.
Now that she’s in the "Housewives" world, she’d love to use her skills to the test to set up another housewife: Adriana de Moura of “The Real Housewives of Miami.”
Jennifer tells TODAY.com, “I like something about her whole vibe. She seems sad to me this season about being alone. So I would love to see her matched up.”
“She doesn’t know me, so I think it’d be a little awkward if I call her and say, ‘Hey, girl, I got someone for you.’ But if I had to choose, I think it’d be Adriana,” Jennifer continues.
A 'self-proclaimed fashionista, ' Jennifer started her own shoe line after she turned 50
In addition to dabbling in matchmaking, Jennifer once worked as a recruiter in the world of fashion, placing buyers, planners and designers in roles across the apparel design world.
Although she wasn’t a designer herself, Jennifer says she’s a “self-proclaimed fashionista,” which led to her starting her own shoe business, F. Major, after she turned 50.
Jennifer says the idea arose from frustration at not being able to walk in heels with ease.
"I have always been obsessed with heels, but they were just too painful, and I knew that my friends all felt the same way. I wanted to create a heel that you can actually walk in, you can get through the cocktail hour and into the reception," she says.
“I found that I was taking my shoes off and dancing barefoot at formal events, which is just nasty. In my mind, these are the must-have heels. They’re the little black dress of heels. Everybody needs a pair of black pumps and beige pumps, and they go with everything. And you can tell, because I wear them constantly."
Jennifer says she ‘can’t help’ being honest with Margaret Josephs
Almost every cast mate on "RHONJ" owns their own business, meaning Fessler is in good company — especially with her close pal and co-star Margaret Josephs.
Social media sleuths pointed out that Fessler appeared in "RHONJ" once before during Season Eight alongside former cast member Siggy Flicker, whom she was once close friends. Siggy also introduced Margaret to the cast, but the pair fell out before Siggy left the show.
Jennifer says she and Margaret did not meet through Siggy, but rather through “a mutual friend who wanted to introduce me to Margaret because of my business, because she thought that Margaret would be a really good mentor for me.”
“I had no idea that we would end up being close friends. But she almost immediately put me on her podcast, and introduced me to people that could help. Obviously I knew of her because Siggy was on the show and I knew they weren’t the best friends. But my experience with her was always just so positive,” Jennifer continues.
Although it seems from "RHONJ" and social media that Siggy and Jennifer had a falling out, Jennifer says that “there’s no hate, no animosity” between the two. She’s “only wishing Siggy and her family well” after they went “in different directions.”
Jennifer says she and Margaret are closer than ever, but that doesn’t mean she wholeheartedly supports Margaret’s every move.
A recent episode shows a vicious back-and-forth between Margaret and Jennifer Aydin. In a later scene, Jennifer explains to Margaret why she thinks her actions had been out of line.
Of her truthfulness, Jennifer says, “I can’t help it, it’s sort of just who I am. I want my friends to tell me the truth. I don’t want them to be soldiers. I want to feel supported, I want to feel heard, I want to feel like they have my back, but I also want to hear what they really think.
“I felt like it wasn’t really (like) Margaret having that crazy explosion happen. To be quite honest with you, I don’t even think it’s really like Jen (either). I think that was the pinnacle of they couldn’t take each other for another minute. But the stuff that was coming out of their mouths was really petty, mean and hurtful, and I don’t like to see the people I love acting in that way,” Jennifer continues.
“So (with Margaret), I’m gonna be honest, and tell her how I feel. And I think she appreciates it,” Jennifer concludes.
Jennifer says she still has questions about Danielle Cabral’s fallout with her brother
Joining the cast of "RHONJ" brought Jennifer into a new social group, giving her the opportunity to “make real and true friendships.”
Jennifer calls Jackie, Dolores, Margaret, Melissa and Rachel close friends, and says her friendship with Rachel is one that surprises her every day.
“I just adore her. We have the best time together. She’s such an old soul. I think she even says it on the show, she has been through a lot. So I certainly didn’t expect to connect with someone, at age 54. She’s way closer in age to my daughter than she is to me," Jennifer says of Rachel.
Social media seems to indicate that the cast is divided into two groups: One with Jennifer, Melissa, Margaret, Rachel and Jackie and the other with Teresa, Danielle, Dolores and Jennifer Aydin, but Jennifer says “it’s not really like that” in reality.
“There’s so much crossover. Look at Dolores — she’s always friends with everybody. She is able to move in between the two sides. I’ve had really nice conversations with Teresa over the course of filming that have meant a lot to me. In terms of Jen, she’s just so funny. I enjoy that so much," she says.
Jennifer says she’s “not as close” to Danielle, as the pair didn’t have sufficient time to connect during Season 13.
Further, along with other cast members, Jennifer has actively questioned Danielle’s story about her fallout with her brother. Danielle says they fought after she blocked her brother on Instagram when he made fun of her.
Jennifer says she “still has questions” about Danielle’s story. “There’s a disconnect there for me," she says.
Jennifer continues, “If you have a new friend telling you something that’s so intimate about their lives, I feel like it was natural for us to have questions. We couldn’t put the pieces together because we didn’t really know that well. So that’s where the questions sort of stemmed from,” Jennifer continues.
Family drama she’s not getting involved in? The ongoing fallout between Teresa and her sister-in-law and brother, Melissa and Joe Gorga.
This week’s episode detailed what seems to be a bad business deal between Joe and Teresa’s now husband, Luis "Louie" Ruelas.
Jennifer tells TODAY.com, “I don’t know how I can even begin to get into that. First of all, I still don’t know or I still don’t understand that much about it to be really transparent. I don’t want to touch that business and money. I am walking the other way. It’s just not my place to even comment on it.”
Jennifer teases the cast’s trip to Ireland and who she hopes to connect with in the future
With over half of the season aired, Jennifer teases that more fun is to come during the cast’s trip to Ireland.
Jennifer says, “I’m a sloppy drunk. That’s when they came up with the nickname Messy Fessy. I had such a blast, and I think that the cast enjoyed laughing at me, not necessarily with me. But listen, I put on quite a show.”
Jennifer predicts that the reunion taping will “absolutely get dirty."
"There’s not a chance it’s not going to be a bloodbath," she says.
Jennifer says she’s “going to be honest if I’m asked a question,” and says, “I’m not afraid to tell people how I feel.”
“I have stayed sort of above the fray (this season), but again, I still have opinions that will probably eventually get me in trouble. But I do have strong opinions about what’s gone down, so I don’t know if they’ll be taken well or not. We’ll see,” Jennifer says.
If she’s asked back for another season, Jennifer hopes to connect more with Teresa and Jennifer Aydin as Jersey embraces the new personalities that have joined the fray ... and added to the drama.
